


Let's Play the Blame Game

by Drag0nst0rm



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: Rise of Empire Era - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-19 04:47:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8190623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drag0nst0rm/pseuds/Drag0nst0rm
Summary: After it's all over, historians try to piece together who's to blame.It isn't an easy job.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Don't claim, don't own.

Later, when it's all over, the historians aren't sure who to blame.

Oh, Palpatine, of course. There's no argument that Palpatine should be blamed for the collapse of the Old Republic, the demise of the Jedi, the death of millions, and the general impression that the good old days are gone. Blaming Palpatine is easy.

He didn't do it alone, though, and figuring out who else to blame is surprisingly hard.

Some people blame Darth Vader, of course. Well, everyone does, really, until more information comes out and it's revealed that he was Anakin Skywalker.

Some people still blame him, but they forget that Palpatine had expertly lied and manipulated him for years. They forget that it's entirely possible that the Dark Side of the Force was used to weaken his will. They forget that he was in the middle of a war, lost, desperate, and feeling alone.

They forget that he'd been having visions he thought he'd learned better than to ignore. They forget that Obi Wan was not there for him in all the ways he should have been. They forget that he'd been told he was the Chosen One but never told what to do about it.

They forget that once upon a time he was a frightened child, raised a slave, who was used to using his emotions to keep the strength to stay alive and who didn't know how to let go of all affection or how to read the affection he got.

Some find the records of these facts and read between the lines and blame Obi Wan Kenobi. He failed to teach the Chosen One properly, after all. He failed to help Anakin when he should have been able to.

They forget that he was torn between a duty to the whole galaxy and a duty to a man he loved like a brother. They forget that he'd been taught that such attachment was forbidden and evil, and so thus obviously duty must come first.

They forget that he had been sent out on far too dangerous missions since a far too young age, that he had been tortured far too many times, and that far too much of this had never really healed. They forget that he, too, was fighting a war, and that he saw Anakin slipping and was afraid.

They forget that he was nearly never a Jedi at all and that Qui Gon Jinn choosing him was under unusual circumstances. They forget that Qui Gon would have left him and died before they could make it right. They forget how incredible it is that with this as their beginning, Obi Wan ever even tried with Anakin at all.

They forget that he was grieving and had no idea what to do when training Anakin. They forget that he tried (oh, how he tried) anyway.

They forget that he was raised in the temple and taught that feeling was bad and wrong. They forget that he was told this since he was so young that it was ingrained into his very being. They forget that it's incredible he ever learned to be attached when all attachment was punished. They forget that he had little idea how to be supportive once he was, because he was never taught how.

In light of this, some blame Qui Gon. He should have handled Anakin differently. He should never have set Obi Wan aside. He should have been kinder.

They forget that Qui Gon wanted to save everyone but had long ago learned that it was impossible, so he learned to save what he could and not to look back at the rest. 

They forget that Qui Gon had already lost one apprentice to the Dark Side, and he could not bear to lose Obi Wan to it too. They forget that he, too, had been taught since childhood that attachment was the path of evil.

They forget that he was taught by Dooku, and that he walked away knowing mainly what he ought _not_ to be, and that's not nearly enough of a basis to build a teaching (parenting) strategy on.

They forget that just because he cared doesn't mean he always realized how his actions would hurt those he cared about.

Some consider this and blame Dooku. Actually, nearly everyone blames Dooku for something. He fought for the Separatists, after all. Some people just take it a step further and also blame him for Qui Gon's emotional failures and thus, domino effect taken into account, the rise of the Empire.

They forget that whatever his failings, Dooku never fell until Qui Gon was gone.

They forget that Dooku's teacher was Yoda, and Yoda was many things, but a family, an understanding ear, someone to teach about attachments, he was not.

Some blame Yoda. He was on the Council. He should have stopped the teachings that were ripping generation after generation apart. He should have been kinder. He should have stopped being cryptic and actually been helpful.

They forget that it's possible that Yoda's species truly did not feel the way so many other species do.

They forget the far more likely possibility: Yoda had a teacher too.

Ultimately, of course, they were all responsible for their own actions. No one forced them to do anything.

(Except to be taken to a place where they were torn apart bit by bit and told to be grateful for it.)

No one made them think a certain way.

(No, Padawan, wrong. Meditate on the error of your ways. You mustn't say such things. Ten laps around the Temple. You will Fall, you will be expelled from the Order, you are young, you do not understand - )

No one stopped them from learning a better way.

(This is the only path that will not lead to darkness. And darkness means death and destruction and fire.)

They made their own decisions, and yet -

(He was a child, a child, a child, and why did it hurt so badly? Why did he have to be here, on this mission? Other children played, and yet he fought, because he was chosen, he was blessed, but oh, it hurt.)

(He was in love, but it couldn't be, because he would hurt her, it was against the rules, he would Fall - )

(It was a lonely thing to love your Master like a father and to be sure you felt it alone. It was a lonely thing to love your Padawan like a son, a brother, and to fear that if he knew, you would corrupt him like you were corrupted. You would make him fall.)

(None of them ever know that they all think these things.)

Historians watch with interest as Luke begins the New Jedi Academy.

Luke teaches them not to be afraid of their power. To be free to feel. To know that darkness is not irredeemable. That even Darth Vader had good in him.

The school burns.

Rey comes to Luke and holds out a lightsaber, and she doesn't need words for him to know what she's asking for. All he can do is stare and try not to collapse into hysterics, because if there's one thing he's learned, it's that those of his lineage should never, ever, teach anyone.

 _You turned out all right,_ Old Ben whispers in his ear. _And Ahsoka, even if she left the order. And Qui Gon taught Feemor, and the others were fine before Young Ben lost his way -_

And despite everything, Luke was still a bit of an optimist, so he sighed and said, "Fine. One last try."

( _You do realize,_ Anakin told Obi Wan, _that if she Falls now, it'll be at least a little bit your fault?_ )

( _Better my fault because I tried than my fault because I did nothing,_ he replied. _I learned that lesson on Tatooine._ )

( _Tatooine,_ Anakin groaned, and Obi Wan smiled.)

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't read/seen a lot of the background stuff, so if I got something wrong, I apologize.
> 
> This was born out of a lot of frustration with fans going, "It's all (fill in the blank)'s fault!" Because yes, it is SOMEWHAT (fill in the blank)'s fault, but it's also everyone else's fault, including the fact that someone thought the whole system was a good idea in the first place.
> 
> If you know more/disagree, I'm happy to talk about it.


End file.
